This is from "Facts about Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines", by Henry Vizetelly, 1879.

The cellars of the champagne manufacturers are very varied in character. The wine that has been grown on the chalky hills undergoes development in vaults burrowed out of the calcareous strata underlying the entire district. In excavating these cellars the sides and roofs are frequently worked smooth and regular as finished masonry. The larger ones are composed of a number of spacious and lofty galleries, sometimes parallel with 58 each other, but often ramifying in various directions, and evidently constructed on no definite plan. They are of one, two, and, in rare instances, of three stories, and now and then consist of a series of parallel galleries communicating with each other, lined with masonry, and with their stone walls and vaulted roofs resembling the crypt of some conventual building. Others of ancient date are less regular in their form, being merely so many narrow low winding corridors, varied, perhaps, by recesses hewn roughly out of the chalk, and resembling the brigands’ cave of the melodrama, while a certain number of the larger cellars at Reims are simply abandoned quarries, the broad and lofty arches of which are suggestive of the nave and aisles of some Gothic church. In these varied vaults, lighted by solitary lamps in front of metal reflectors, or by the flickering tallow candles which we carry in our hands, we pass rows of casks filled with last year’s vintage or reserved wine of former years, and piles after piles of bottles of vin brut in seemingly endless sequence—squares, so to speak, of raw champagne recruits awaiting their turn to be thoroughly drilled and disciplined. These are varied by bottles reposing necks downwards in racks at different degrees of inclination according to the progress their education has attained. Reports caused by exploding bottles now and then assail the ear, and as the echo dies away it becomes mingled with the rush of the escaping wine, cascading down the pile and finding its way across the sloping sides of the floor to the narrow gutter in the centre. The dampness of the floor and the shattered fragments of glass strewn about show the frequency of this kind of accident. The spilt wine, which flows along the gutter into reservoirs, is usually thrown away, though there is a story current to the effect that the head of one Epernay firm cooks nearly everything consumed in his house in the fluid thus let loose in his cellars.

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Hi again people, we're back again with some more overlooked tasty truffles for ya, as rooted out by my own fair snout from rock'n'roll's leaf covered forest floor. My metaphors are getting worse aren't they? So what do we have then? Four kick ass relics recorded between 1979 and 1985, that's what. Three from the UK, one from the States. A discography completed, and another advanced, a one-off and a compilation. Let's get started shall we?
The NWOBHM movement gave us dozens of lesser known bands that are well worth checking out, one worth a special mention is DRAGSTER. The band were active between 1979 and 1983, and during their lifetime they released a lone 7", "Ambitions" in 1981 on the Heavy Metal Records label. Dragster's sound was very much a product of its time, having a very NWOBHM, DIAMOND HEAD meets SAXON flavour. What they lacked in originality, they more than made up for in pure energy. To date, this album, 1999's 19 song "NWOBHM Revisited - the Very Best of Dragster" is the only collection of Dragster material officially available. Hard charging rock/metal anthems with plenty of speed and a surprising amount of melody, exactly what you want blasting from your speakers as you're cruising down the highway with your speedometer in the red. These recordings were culled from a variety of sessions recorded between 1979 and 1983. Grab it with both hands.

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We all know that Mr Ronaldo loves his Nike football boots (he recently featured in a campaign for the new Nike Mercurial Vapor IV boots in which he raced a Bugatti), but as not everyone can afford such a pricey boot we opted to have a look at the more affordable but still exciting Nike Total 90 Strike II.

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50. Veronika Varekova
49. Shiraz Tal
48. Chandra North
47. Jessica White
46. Nadine Strittmatter
45. Nichole Robinson
44. Amanda Marcum
43. Angela Lindvall
42. Jessica Van Der Steen
41. Anne Vyalitsyna

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A handful of actresses carry such a wellspring of inner grace and presence that they appear destined for celebrity from birth. Natalie Wood had it, as did Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly; many would doubtless place Kate Winslet among their ranks. A tender 11 when she commenced her formal dramatic training, 19 when she debuted cinematically, and 20 when she received her first Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, Winslet never "ascended" to stardom; she became a star overnight. The possessor of an hourglass-figured, full-lipped beauty that lends itself effortlessly to costume dramas, Winslet was roundly hailed by the press for standing in stark, proud contrast to her more conventional Hollywood peers.

Born on October 5, 1975, and raised in Reading, England, as the daughter of stage actors and the granddaughter of a repertory theater manager, Winslet inherited the "drama bug" from her folks. After training exhaustively as a child and securing professional representation she went on the air as a spokesgirl for a popular British cereal, and later attended a performing-arts secondary school. Following an early graduation in 1991 (prior to the age of 16), Winslet launched her regional stage career, highlighted by roles in adaptations of +The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole and +Peter Pan. It would be difficult to imagine a more auspicious film bow than the role of Juliet Hulme in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures -- or a more difficult one. This characterization -- that of an extroverted adolescent who constructs an incestuously exclusive fantasy world with her best friend (Melanie Lynskey) -- put Winslet on the map, and opened the door for follow-ups in international megahits such as Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility (1995), as the willfull, passionate Marianne; and James Cameron's Titanic (1997), as the object of Leonardo Di Caprio's affections, Rose DeWitt Bukater. She received dual Oscar nominations for those roles, but, surprisingly, failed to net either one.

Winslet fared better in 2004, as the love interest opposite Jim Carrey in Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This humorous and poignant mindbender, with a tender romance at its core, scored on all fronts, as did Winslet's performance, earning her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. She followed it up with a return to period film in Finding Neverland (2005), a movie about Victorian author J.M. Barrie, played by Johnny Depp. Playing the inspiration for the character of Wendy in the beloved novel -Peter Pan seemed only natural for the charming actress, who had long since proven herself a similarly charismatic onscreen force.

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Howdy people, it's that time again. Thanks, as always for your comments on last weeks selection, it seems some of them brought back happy memories for you, i'm hoping this weeks selection will please you all just as much.
Most pleasantly surprising of all the comments was the one from Bryon, better known to many of you here as Time Traveller, the original author of this very blog, after being MIA for the best part of a year.
Bryon mate, it was great to hear from you again, glad to hear things are going better, and excited that you're considering a return to full blogging action.
Very pleased too that you seem to be enjoying and approving of the work i've been doing in your absence. I learned from the best, what can i say?
You can still get in touch through my old e-mail address my friend, please do so when you get the chance, it'll be good to catch up.
So, back to tonight's post then:
Paul Birch founded Wolverhampton based Heavy Metal Records as a vehicle to promote HANDSOME BEASTS, the Nuneaton boogie band he managed at the time, when an initial demo was rejected by all the major labels. Having formed as early as 1973, they finally debuted with the "All Riot Now" single in 1980, following it up with the "Breaker" EP and the "Sweeties" single, all issued by Heavy Metal Records. The band finally released a full blown album, "Beastiality" in 1982. Regrettably the band is remembered more for frontman Gary Dalloway's corpulence than their music, a problem not helped by the album's tasteless cover. The next album from the band was to be 1990's "The Beast Within", with bass now being handled by Mark Knight, although the album sleeve notes mistakenly list his name as 'Wright'. In the latter days of the band guitarist Phil Aston was a member (and went on to join ROGUE MALE and TANTRUM) and a third album was recorded during 1993 and, although finalised, was never released due to Heavy Metal Records going bankrupt. Surprisingly, HANDSOME BEASTS are still a going concern, reuniting annually for a one off gig to appease their fans. By 2004 the band, now including CHEVY drummer Ted Duggan, was plotting a new album, released on the Heavy Rock label as "04".
Recordings conducted during 2006 found PETE WAY of UFO & WAYSTED and Spike of THE QUIREBOYS guesting. Tragically, Garry Dalloway died from a fatal heart attack on August 20th that year. Nevertheless, Dalloway had apparently already appointed his successor, Simon "Mongo" Hall, and he debuted with the band at the British Steel festival. The band released a new album in 2007, "Rock & A Hard Place", which was released by Q Records. In 2008, "Mongo" left the band, and his recently announced replacement is none other than Rocky Shades formerly of TITAN, WRATHCHILD, DISCHARGE and ONE TRACK AND DIRTY.

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Madonna's many career sidelights often obscure the fact that she remains one of the greatest pop acts of all time. Yes, she's made some awful movies, but so did Elvis and the Beatles. Simply put, Madonna makes exemplary pop records. They've embraced the trends of the day while showcasing a feisty personality that lesser pop idols and their keepers can't fake. Like David Bowie during his glory days, Madonna has moved from stylistic strength to strength: She's succeeded so fantastically partly thanks to her skill at picking crafty collaborators, but also because behind all the videos, costumes, quotes, and celebrity trappings, she is an exemplary songwriter with a gift for hooks and indelible lyrics, and a better studio singer than her live spectacles attest.

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